With the water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico near a bone-chilling 58 degrees, water-sports enthusiasts need to take precautions to ward off hypothermia.
If you spend any time on or in the water during December, chances are you have or you will experience some symptoms.
Uncontrollable shivering is a strong indicator of hypothermia, but personal experience has lead me to conclude that one can begin slipping into the danger zone long before the body shows obvious symptoms.
If your body is performing some type of hard work - such as paddling a surfboard or kayak - its furnace is stoked and you will not feel cold until you stop what you are doing.
On a recent expedition, one member of our party complained of being chilled at lunch, and it wasn't until he fell and severely injured his hand that we realized precautions should have been taken earlier.
In Florida's hunter-education classes, students are taught to look out for "slurred speech" and "irrational behavior" as early signs of hypothermia.
It is usually not one thing but a total breakdown of the decisionmaking process that results in a hypothermia fatality.
Two years ago this month, four men left the boat ramp on the east side of the Gandy Bridge destined for what they thought would be a day fishing near the Sunshine Skyway bridge. By the next morning all four were dead.
Investigators determined that multiple factors - a faulty bilge pump, an inadequate float plan and no effective means of communication - led to the deaths.
Looking back, the lessons are obvious:
Dress for the cold. Many anglers and boaters head out in the morning counting on the sun to warm things up. The first rule of equipping yourself for the cold is layering. Start with a thin, synthetic material such as polypropylene or Capilene close to the skin that helps transmit vapor from the body.
Don't be afraid to wear more than one layer of this high-tech long underwear. It is light, easy to store and keeps you warm even when wet.
You'll get most of your warmth from your second (or third) layer of a bulkier material such as Polartec. Finish off with a layer of wind- and water-resistant material. Rain gear doubles as a wind barrier in a pinch, but if you are engaged in an active sport such as canoeing, a light Windbreaker jacket and pants are better suited to your needs.
But if you find yourself in a emergency situation (such as getting wet) try to make it to land or shelter as quickly as possible. Shed your wet clothes and break out the emergency gear (I keep an extra set of long underwear stored in a dry bag) and start a fire.
An emergency fire-starter kit should include kindling, waterproof (lifeboat) matches and if possible some "napalm in a tube" that burns even wet wood. If fire is not an option because of high winds or rain, use emergency hot packs, the same as athletes use for sore muscles.
Place a hot pack under each armpit and on the inside of each thigh, over the major arteries. Wrap yourself in an aluminum foil space blanket and you'll warm up quickly. Hard-core adventure racers and extreme paddlers have been known to forgo a sleeping bag and tent and sleep in this manner to save weight.
Once you are dry and warm, break out your camp stove and boil water. Make yourself hot coffee, tea or cocoa, or soup if you prefer, and heat your internal plumbing.
In no time your body will be back to normal temperature. Congratulations! You have passed through the danger zone. It's time to get back on or in the water and keep going.
